Suffolk Va      April 23 1863

           

Dear Ari,

                        I have just received your letter and as you sent me a sheet of paper and I feel pretty well I thought I would write a few lines I have just put one letter and paper in the mail. there is a great differanc betwen this letter and the one I wrote last week but I like just as well as ever. the boys have gorn out on picket and I am setting in my tent all a lone drinkeing my coffee it rains very hard and I pitty the boys for thay will all get wett.

 

It seems more quiet here now there has not been hardly any fireing to day / I have just read that letter in the News Letter that you sent me I suppose you know who wrote it, it was Rufus Lamson the potters son at Exeter it is so we have got good tents now it is warm.

 

It dont seem right to not hear the cannon I have not heard one to day and it is the first day for 2 weeks but what it been one continual bang all of the time.

You tell Frank that I have got a girl picked out for him she is rether dark but that is the stile out here. there is a splended little darkey boy out here I think it would just / sute Anna. thay dont cost any thing we have more then 20 in our Regt that the boys picked up well I will lay this aside for a while.

 

Thursday evening I am still all alone in my tent and I feel lonesom I wish you and Elmer were here to stop with me tonight. how would you like it think. there is a house out here about 4 or 5 miles and Gen Peck says if any one will go out and burn it he will give them 2.00 dollars and a furlough for 30 days. dont you think that I had better take the job. I dont believe but that I could do it and not get caught. we have burnt a lot of houses since this Battle commenced. oh Ari you know / but little of the war at home I will tell you what I have seen. we were stationed one day near a house where there was a man and his 2 daughters thay were maried and their husbands in the rebbel army and our Gen gave orders to burn their house so we helped the old man clear the house of his goods it is close to a cannell so we put them into a boat and he and his daughters went down into the desmal swamp that night. thay cryed and I was pittying them when I look and saw the road full of wemen and children crying and takeing on. thay were comming into our lines for protection. I thought of you and Elmer for some of them were as small as he is. some had their flat irons and some their looking glasses

 

well good night my love to all

                                               

Corp S. B. Tarlton

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